In the new government survey conducted last month, when asked how much time fathers had taken for their most recent child, the mean response was 13.7 days, while the most common response was between one and two weeks.

However, when asked how much leave fathers should be able to take, the mean number of days was 31.5 days – the equivalent of more than six working weeks. Around one in seven people said fathers should be entitled to between one and three months.

The survey, carried out by Opinion Matters, also highlighted how cultural attitudes towards fathers influence perceptions of family-friendly working. More than one-third of respondents thought that fathers were unfairly portrayed in the media, and 81% said this contributed to outdated stereotypes.

Finances continue to have an important role in the decision of whether or not to take shared leave. Almost 40% of parents said they expected to be worse off after having a baby.

Meanwhile, almost half of those who had no plans to discuss shared parental leave with their employer said this was because they were the main breadwinner, therefore their family would not be able to afford it.